340 cook's second voyage may, 



and conducted in so judicious a manner, that they 

 formed and closed a line along the shore to an inch. 

 The rowers were encouraged to exert their strength 

 by their leaders on the stages, and directed by a 

 man who stood with a wand in his hand in the fore- 

 part of the middlemost vessel. This man, by words 

 and actions, directed the paddlers when all should 

 paddle, when either the one side or the other should 

 cease, &c, for the steering paddles alone were not 

 sufficient to direct them. All these motions they 

 observed with such quickness, as clearly showed 

 them to be expert in their business. After Mr. 

 Hodges had made a drawing of them, as they lay 

 ranged along the shore, we landed, and took a 

 nearer view of them by going on board several. This 

 fleet consisted of forty sail, equipped in the same 

 manner as those we had seen before, belonged to 

 the little district of Tettaha, and were come to 

 Oparree to be reviewed before the king, as the 

 former fleet had been. There were attending on this 

 fleet some small double canoes, which they called 

 Marais, having on their fore-part a kind of double 

 bed-place laid over with green leaves, each just 

 sufficient to hold one man. These they told us, 

 were to lay their dead upon ; their chiefs I sup- 

 pose they meant, otherwise their slain must be 

 few. Otoo, who was present, caused, at my request, 

 some of the troops to go through their exercise on 

 shore. Two parties first began with clubs, but this 

 was over almost as soon as begun, so that I had no 

 time to make my observations upon it. They then 

 went to single combat, and exhibited the various 

 methods of fighting with great alertness, parrying off 

 the blows and pushes which each combatant aimed 

 at the other with great dexterity. Their arms 

 were clubs and spears, the latter they also used as 

 darts. In fighting with the club, all blows intended to 

 be given the legs, were evaded by leaping over it ; 

 and those intended for the head, by couching a little 



